ArticleNature structural & molecular biology2018
The role of tubulin-tubulin lattice contacts in the mechanism of microtubule dynamic instability.
Article in Nature structural & molecular biology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 96 papers.
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Who cites it
96 citing papers in PubMed.
- Towards a systems-level view of the microtubule cytoskeleton and its functions in physiology and disease.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2026Review
- Taccalonolide AJ uncouples tubulin GTP hydrolysis from microtubule depolymerization.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Ghost Neuron preparation unlocks high-resolution structural mapping of intracellular architecture in axons.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Microtubule lattice conformation and integrity regulate α-tubulin acetylation.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Tubulin flux at spastin-induced nanodamage sites regulates microtubule rescue frequency and EB1 lifetimes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- A coherent structural picture of the interaction of Tau with tubulin provides a link to its aggregation.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Review
- Taxol exploits molecular switches within tubulin to stabilize microtubules.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Microtubule end stabilisation by cooperative oligomers of Ska and Ndc80 complexes.The EMBO journal · 2026Article
- An evolution-conserved allosteric network in human tubulin governs paclitaxel efficacy.Nature chemical biology · 2026Article
- Lattice instability drives formation of protofilament clusters at the microtubule plus-end tips.Biophysical journal · 2026Article
- Adaptations in Plasmodium tubulin determine distinct microtubule architectures, mechanics and drug susceptibility.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Role of α-tubulin helix 11' in heterodimer conformation and microtubule dynamics.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- On the curvature and relaxation of microtubule plus-end tips.Biophysical journal · 2026Article
- Single-molecule microtubule dynamics measurements reveal an intermediate state and clarify the role of nucleotide.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Article
- E69K mutation in β-tubulin 2 blocks cell wall integrity signaling during plant cell elongation.EMBO reports · 2025Article
- Microtubules in Martini: Parameterizing a heterogeneous elastic-network towards a mechanically accurate microtubule.PNAS nexus · 2025Article
- Mechanisms of microtubule dynamics from single-molecule measurements.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Microtubule dynamics are defined by conformations and stability of clustered protofilaments.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Modulating the Curvature of Protein Self-Assembled Spiral Nanotubules.ACS applied materials & interfaces · 2025Article
36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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2 authors.
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Abstract
Microtubules form from longitudinally and laterally assembling tubulin α-β dimers. The assembly induces strain in tubulin, resulting in cycles of microtubule catastrophe and regrowth. This 'dynamic instability' is governed by GTP hydrolysis that renders the microtubule lattice unstable, but it is unclear how. We used a human microtubule nucleating and stabilizing neuronal protein, doublecortin, and high-resolution cryo-EM to capture tubulin's elusive hydrolysis intermediate GDP•Pi state, alongside the prehydrolysis analog GMPCPP state and the posthydrolysis GDP state with and without an anticancer drug, Taxol. GTP hydrolysis to GDP•Pi followed by Pi release constitutes two distinct structural transitions, causing unevenly distributed compressions of tubulin dimers, thereby tightening longitudinal and loosening lateral interdimer contacts. We conclude that microtubule catastrophe is triggered because the lateral contacts can no longer counteract the strain energy stored in the lattice, while reinforcement of the longitudinal contacts may support generation of force.
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